Retired MA Fire Chief Dies Suddenly

WORCESTER, MA—Retired Fire Chief Dennis L. Budd, who led the department through its darkest days in December 1999, has died.

He was 72. His daughter, Laura McElroy, said Thursday he died suddenly Wednesday in Chester Springs, PA. He and his wife of 51 years, Nancy Budd, had been splitting their time between Mashpee and Englewood, FL, but had been staying in Chester Springs while he battled cancer. He had been diagnosed in February and had come to Pennsylvania for treatment, McElroy said, but had recently developed other health issues.

Budd also leaves another daughter, Sarah Schreirer, along with seven grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

Budd was chief during the Worcester Cold Storage & Warehouse Co. fire on Dec. 3, 1999, that killed six firefighters. Firefighters initially entered the vacant warehouse thinking a homeless couple was inside, and became trapped in the labyrinthine building. Budd retired less than a year later at 52. His daughter said the fire took an emotional toll on her father.

"It was traumatic," McElroy said. "It stayed with him for the rest of his life. He really suffered those losses. He didn't leave the site until the last person was found."

The son of a firefighter, Budd was born in Worcester, and grew up on Butler Street in Quinsigamond Village. He met Nancy while the two went to South High School together, and he served in the Air Force in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969.

His 28-year career started just after he got back from Vietnam, on Engine 1, in the former firehouse across from the DCU Center. When he retired in 2000, he vividly recalled his first call, for a fire in an apartment building at 86 Green St. Two people died in that early-morning fire; he was assigned to attack the fire at the back of the building, where the fire was heaviest. He said at the time he appreciated the camaraderie the job offered.

"The guy who takes the hydrant does the same work as the chief,'' he told a reporter at the time. "We all are in the fire service and have the same goals. We're just in different positions. Anybody that wants to stay a firefighter for 30 years, I say God bless him. We all fight fires. We save lives. We have the same focus. That's what the fire department is and on December 3rd, you could see that, not only in the Worcester firefighters but in all the firefighters who came to assist us and later all who came from around the world ... This is the best family I've ever been associated with."

McElroy said her father was a "loving brother" to all his fellow firefighters.

"He absolutely loved his job," McElroy said. "He made it to the top of the ranks in the Fire Department, that's what he always wished for."

Deputy Fire Chief John Powers came on in the early 1990s a few years after Budd took over leadership of the department in 1988. The city was on shaky financial ground, Powers said; he was among 50 firefighters laid off at the time, and stations were being closed. He said Budd offered steady leadership through that period, which is something he doesn't get a lot of credit for.

Powers knew Budd well and knew how much he loved Nancy. But he also knew Budd as a skilled firefighter, who skipped over the deputy ranks and went straight from district chief to chief of the department. He said Budd was an "unbelievably great guy," who was very active and who got along well with the rank-and-file.

"Underneath that mustache of his, he had a great smile," Powers said.

He said Budd was an avid skier and golfer who, like Powers, lived near Green Hill Municipal Golf Course. Powers said Budd would often wake up early to try to get nine holes in before going to work. He was also a cyclist, and Powers remembered the chief catching some heat after a crash at the corner of Millbrook Street and Gold Star Boulevard.

"He was an extremely active guy," Powers said.

McElroy said her father for many years was a member of the ski patrol at Wachusett Mountain. But he loved the beach and enjoyed splitting his time between the Cape and Florida.

Powers said he considered Budd a role model throughout his career.

"There's people you pick things up from along the way," Powers said. "I think he was one of those people."

The warehouse fire was tough on everybody in the department, Budd included. But Powers said Budd did a fantastic job under incredible stress.

"He just kept himself together to keep the department together," Powers said. "He just showed strength through the whole thing, which is what a leader does."

Former Fire Chief Gerard Dio took over for Budd in 2000, but the two went back many years and were good friends as well as colleagues. Dio said Thursday in a telephone interview they first met when Budd was a captain on the Rescue truck. He had a great personality and would always be the first to step forward and shake a new firefighter's hand to wish them well.

He said during the warehouse fire and its aftermath, he always kept his wits about him and would make sure firefighters had someone to talk to about what was happening. He said Budd pushed back his retirement date to smooth the transition.

"He had a lot of fire experience prior to being chief," Dio said. "He understood the job, he understood how the job affected him, and how it affected his people. His goal was to make sure everyone got home, and didn't have too much of a burden upon their shoulders."

He said that when he took over the department, he tried to emulate Budd's level-headed approach.

"You take a little bit of everyone with you," Dio said. "Dennis was influential in that fashion."

Dio said "Den" would host Dio and other retired firefighters in Florida every year for the Super Bowl; they always had a great time, and Dio said he had just been down there over the winter to visit.

"He always smiled, he was always in for a good joke," Dio said. "Getting together, it was always a ball that whole week, just older guys, good to get together and talk about old times. That was Den."

Walter Giard retired as a district chief and worked many years with Budd. He said they first met when they were assigned together to the new Central Division firehouse in 1974. He said Budd was his best friend.

"We did everything together," Giard said. "We raised our kids together, went on vacations together, went on adventures together. He was type of guy who you've only met for 10 minutes, but he makes you feel like you've known him your whole life."

He said as they both rose through the ranks, they were careful to separate the personal and professional. He said he would give everything he had for his friend, but disagreements could get interesting.

"There was a professional 'us' and a friends 'us,' " Giard said.

Giard said that at the time of the warehouse fire, there were multiple investigations into what happened, and he said many firefighters looked to the chief for guidance. He offered them a sort of mantra, Giard said.

"I remember, every single time, he would say 'Just tell the truth,' " Giard said.

Giard said he has lost two younger brothers, but hearing of Budd's death was no less painful.

"I don't know very many more honorable men," Budd said.

In a statement Thursday, City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. offered condolences.

"I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of retired Worcester Fire Chief Dennis Budd," Augustus said. "He helped guide the Fire Department and this city through one of its darkest times after the Cold Storage fire of 1999, and dedicated 28 years of his life to protecting the residents of this city. We extend our heartfelt sympathies and prayers to Chief Budd's family in their time of grieving."

McElroy said her father's funeral arrangements are still being ironed out, but said the family is working with Mercadante Funeral Home.

"I think he deserves to be recognized for his service to the city, to its people, to the fallen firefighters, and for everything he did at the Fire Department," McElroy said.

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